Missouri judge says Guatemala mom loses parental rights

KANSAS CITY — A Missouri judge has terminated the parental rights of a Guatemalan woman who's been contesting her son's 2008 adoption by a Carthage couple.

The decision comes a year after the Missouri Supreme Court ordered a new trial, saying the initial adoption didn't follow state adoption laws.

The Kansas City Star reports that Greene County Judge David Jones ruled Wednesday that Encarnacion Bail Romero abandoned her son and ended her parental rights. The decision clears the way for the couple, Seth and Melinda Moser of Carthage, to adopt the child again.

The Mosers adopted the boy in 2008 after Romero got caught up in an immigration sweep at a poultry plant. She's been seeking custody since being released from jail on immigration violations.